Chapter 198 - 193: Great Universe Technique

This was Ding Huan's third month at Hidden Sword Mountain. The first two months he hardly ate or drank, relying solely on the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, and surprisingly, he hadn't become much weaker. Every time he connected with the vast universe through the Cosmic Vortex of Hidden Sword Mountain and deduced a new Circulation route, the Spiritual Energy from the Divine Crystal Stones around him and the Divine Blossom Crystal Veins beneath him would be swiftly drawn away. Whenever a vein within his body merged with the vast starry sky he had constructed to form a complete Cycle, he would then continue seeking the path of Circulation for the next vein. Ding Huan didn't know how others created their Cultivation Techniques; in his body of knowledge, as a Dao Body, in the process of cultivation, there were no useless energy channels, nor any useless acupuncture points. Any channel he discovered had the potential to form a complete Cycle, and all the Cycles had to repeatedly cover the acupuncture points of the whole body. The seventieth channel Cycle... The eightieth channel Cycle... After the third month passed, Ding Huan had constructed the ninety-ninth channel Cycle. Once these channels were set in motion, each time they would form a whole with the vast starry sky he had constructed, running perfectly within his body, this Great Universe. The fourth month passed, and Ding Huan had still only constructed the Circulation of ninety-nine channels. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't find the way to circulate the hundredth channel. Ding Huan possessed a profound knowledge and system of cultivation; he was well aware that the number of channels that could be connected during cultivation was definitely more than a hundred. According to the count of Tian Gang, there should be a hundred and eight channels. As the fifth month was about to end, and Ding Huan still couldn't find the hundredth channel, he stopped fixating on the problem. Just as he had been unable to achieve Foundation Establishment before, sometimes he might be right, but being right now didn't guarantee he would be in the future. A one hundred channel route Cultivation Technique was definitely countless times stronger than Luo Shijin. Feeling the Cultivation Technique that he had deduced, which he hadn't begun practicing yet, feeling those clear and distinct Circulation pathways, Ding Huan felt as if his body had transformed into a nascent universe, channels as the beginnings of star systems, building a vast starry sky, a nearly imperceptible Stardust born under this vastness... Each cycle of practice was like swirling star systems in the universe, seamlessly connected to external rules, then returning to the self with boundless Primordial Qi. Ding Huan let out an excited roar, at this moment he was the universe. He opened his eyes, his cultivation level was barely that of a seventh-level Genetic Cultivator. Yet he couldn't suppress his excitement; only at this moment had he found his direction. He regarded his body as the universe, the vastness his physique, his veins as star systems, a single Stardust as the origin of his Dao, and created a Tao that was uniquely his. Although he was far from forming his Great Dao, maybe even it would never take shape, Although he had only found ninety-nine channel Cycles to practice, Taking this first step meant he now had endless possibilities. No matter whether his Tao would eventually take shape, whether he could truly create a unique Great Dao Cultivation path starting from a single Stardust, he would have no regrets. He looked at the Divine Blossom Vein beneath him, which had shrunk by half due to the creation of his Technique. The one hundred thousand Divine Crystal Stones around had likewise diminished by a third. Ding Huan felt fortunate that he had brought enough Divine Crystal Stones, otherwise he definitely wouldn ́t have been able to create his own Cultivation Technique. After creating his own Cultivation Technique, Ding Huan didn't immediately start practicing but instead reflected on the mental journey and creations of these past years. From Earth to the Four-direction Star Land, then to the starry sky to find answers, and finally to Hidden Sword Mountain to attain the Dao... A day later, Ding Huan had completely returned to his usual calm. It was time to start cultivating. Ding Huan gazed at the Cosmic Vortex in front of him, took a deep breath, and began the first Circulation of his own Cultivation Technique. Before the first cycle was complete, he was shocked by the terrifying speed at which it absorbed Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi. Endless streams of Spiritual Energy were swept away like a giant whale sucking in water, his cultivation level dropped even faster. While creating his Technique, his level had dropped from a ninth-level Genetic Cultivator to a seventh-level one. Now, as he began practicing, his level plummeted even more wildly. A sixth-level Genetic Cultivator, a fifth-level... A month later, Ding Huan had to eat something. He felt his True Yuan hadn't diminished but had become even more refined, yet his status as a ninth-level Genetic Cultivator had disappeared completely. At this moment, he was just a common man with the strength of a ninth-level Genetic Cultivator. Starting the new Technique again, Ding Huan was apprehensive. He had no cultivation level left, so it couldn't decline further, could it? In just one day, Ding Huan was surprised to find that he had once again entered the status of a... No, it wasn't a Genetic Cultivator anymore; he had refined his own first Stardust. As he continued practicing, the Stardust he refined multiplied. Ding Huan deeply immersed himself in this blissful cultivation. He knew very clearly, the more Stardust he had, the closer he was reaching Foundation Establishment. In just one month, Ding Huan felt a vast expanse of Stardust gathering between his Dantian. ``` This Star Dust was the foundation of his Great Dao of the universe. The next step was to condense the Star Nebula, also known as Foundation Establishment. Ding Huan didn't hesitate at all, directly grabbing the Seven-Toothed Sculpting Grass from within the Star House. According to conventional cultivation ideas, the Seven-Toothed Sculpting Grass was merely one of the main ingredients for the Foundation Establishment Pill, which needed to be combined with other Spiritual Medicines to be refined into the Foundation Establishment Pill to significantly enhance the effects of Foundation Establishment. Ding Huan didn't choose to do that. His Dao was completely different from the common ones; from the moment he integrated the gene spiritual root, his Dao was destined not to be an ordinary path. To follow in the footsteps of the Immortal God powerhouses, one could not take the ordinary road because the ordinary road had long been exhausted by others. He could not build a Tao Foundation that could restrict his height at any time. He must have a Tao Technique that could constantly strengthen his Dao Foundation. During the process of cultivation, it is to absorb Spiritual Energy, which can enhance his strength but cannot strengthen his Dao Foundation. Therefore, while creating his own Tao Technique, Ding Huan spent nearly a month or two integrating gene theories into the practice of the starry sky Cycle. His goal was to absorb the necessary genes during the Cycle to strengthen his Great Dao foundation. Now, situated deep within Hidden Sword Mountain, there was nothing around him but Poison Fog. The Poison Fog had unique genes, too, and as he cultivated to elevate his own strength, the genes of the Poison Fog could also enhance his Great Dao foundation. Now, taking out the Seven-Toothed Sculpting Grass, there was no need to refine it into a Foundation Establishment Pill, no need to consume it. As long as it was cast aside, while he practiced his Technique, the beneficial genes from the Seven-Toothed Sculpting Grass for his Great Dao foundation would be swept away and become a part of his Great Dao foundation. Such a defiant technique, even if someone thought of it, they would not be able to execute it. They lacked such a profound knowledge reserve; it required not only knowledge of cultivation of the Great Dao but also an understanding and perception of the vast genetic theories of cosmic life. If they had all that, to create such a Technique, one would need a heart as firm as Ding Huan's, who pursued the footsteps of the Immortal Gods, and a profound understanding of life's true essence from reincarnation. The genes of the Seven-Toothed Sculpting Grass were swiftly swept away, and the Star Dust within Ding Huan's body began to condense. Days passed, and the Blossom God Crystal Stones around Ding Huan grew less and less, and the Bloom Divine Crystal Veins beneath him also shrank. However, Ding Huan's aura became increasingly fierce. Boom! As a consolidating sound erupted within Ding Huan's Dantian, a jade-like Star Nebula now floated within. Ding Huan's Divine Will swept out, and in the next moment, the entire region within a hundred li of Hidden Sword Mountain appeared within his Divine Will. Ding Huan didn't know how strong a True Pill powerhouse's Divine Will was, but he vaguely felt that even a True Pill powerhouse's Divine Will wouldn't be stronger than his. No, definitely weaker. If he wished, within Hidden Sword Mountain his Divine Will could even touch further distances, and once he left Hidden Sword Mountain, the reach of his Divine Will would grow multiple times. Now that he had forged his Star Nebula foundation, he felt he finally had some capital to his name. Indeed, among the Three Thousand Great Dao, as long as it resonates, everyone has their own most suitable path. The path he chose was completely different from that of ordinary monks, yet it was fitting for Ding Huan himself. Ding Huan stood up, quite satisfied with himself. There were only slightly more than ten thousand Blossom God Crystal Stones left, and just over one zhang of the Bloom Divine Crystal Veins remained. These were partly consumed by the derivation of his Technique, and partly by his advancement into the Star Nebula. Around the stone, there was venom everywhere. This was the result of absorbing the Poison Fog of Hidden Sword Mountain while practicing, directly separating the fog's Primordial Qi and venom. In the future, even if he were to live permanently in Hidden Sword Mountain, he would not fear its Poison Fog. Ding Huan was quite moved; the plan to achieve Foundation Establishment in West Wind City was completed more perfectly than he had anticipated. Looking at the Cosmic Vortex in front of him, a sense of fortune sprang up in Ding Huan's heart. Fortunately, he had found this place. Had he been amidst the vast starry sky, he might never have been able to create a Tao Technique that suited him so well. Perhaps this is what is meant by "not seeing the true face of Mount Lu because one is in the mountain itself." To truly comprehend the truth of the universe, one may need to do as he did, stand on one side of the universe and witness the operation of the vast cosmos, rather than getting mired within it. Before returning, he decided to give his Technique a name. When he created his Technique, he regarded himself as the universe, absorbing everything from the vast cosmos, Qi and genes, to continuously perfect his own universe. It had to have a cool name... The Big Calculation Skill he acquired was quite cool indeed. Ding Huan suddenly struck by inspiration, was in high spirits: "From today onward, the Technique I, Ding Huan, have created will be known as the Great Universe Technique." "Boom!" Almost the moment Ding Huan uttered the words "Great Universe Technique," a thunderous blast exploded above his head. Ding Huan was so startled that his scalp went numb; he felt targeted by the thunder. It was Ding Huan's first time frantically channeling all of his True Yuan outward in a rush, and luckily, he burst from the boulder. Crack! A Thunder Arc struck down on the boulder where Ding Huan had been standing. The boulder split open. Ding Huan looked at the scene below the split boulder, dumbfounded. ```